Folding chair.



S. ADLBR. FOLDING CHAIR. APPLICATION rum) OUT. 9, 191a.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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S. ADLER.

FOLDING CHAIR. APPLICATION rum) 0010,1913.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL ADLER, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ENGLANDER SPRING BED COM- IPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK.

FOLDING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914:.

Application filed October 9, 1913. Serial No. 794,310.

To all whom it may concern a 1 Be it known that I, SAMUEL Annnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Chairs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to chairs, and more especially to those which fold; and the object of the same is to produce an extremely simple and yet durable chair of this kind whose framework is made almost exclusively of metal, and which chair may be opened flat like a divanette or single bed, may be set up for use as a chair, or may be folded into extremely small compass for storage or transfer. This andother objects are carried out by constructing the chair and its parts in the manner hereinafter more fully described aud claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 1s a slde elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view of this chair opened out like a bed or divanette; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device folded in chair form, and Fig. 1 is another side elevation of the device folded into smallcompass for storage or transfer.

As seen in Fig. 1, the framework of this chair comprises a head section H which becomes the back of the chair when the device is so used (see Fig. 3), a main section M which becomes the seat of the chair, and a foot section F, and each section will cover an area in the average chair which is about two feet square. Thus the three sections of the framework when opened up as shown in Fig. 9. would make a single bed measuring about two feet by six. In that view I have illustrated the bed bottom as made of a sheet of canvas 0 connected to the frame bars of the various sections by springs S, but I do not wish to be limited in this respect as the bottom may be made in any way and the various sections might in fact carry independent sections of the bottom.

As above suggested, all parts of this device (excepting its bottom and the upholstery if there be any) are by preference made of metal for the sake of durability, strength, and cleanliness, to which may be added the advantage if the device be used in hospitals and the like that metal frames are sanitary and fireproof. As shown in the drawings angle iron is used where great strength is required, strap iron is employed at some points, and metal rods or tubes might be used elsewhere; and if the springs S are of steel and the bottom C of wire mesh the entire device would be of metal and fairly sanitary. It will hardly be necessary to elaborate each element yet to be described, and of course their sizes, proportions, and finish are not important to the invention.

The main section M comprises a pair of main legs 1 rigidly connected by upper and lower rungs 2 and 2. and possibly having casters at their lower extremities although on these legs I prefer to use a special form of foot to be described below. The upper ends of the main legs have rigid elbows 3 which may be riveted to said legs as indicated at 4 in Fig. 3 or otherwise, and to said elbows at the points 5 are pivoted the side bars 6 of this section. The other or forward ends of said side bars are pivotally connected at the points 7 with the upper ends of another pair of legs 8 which are rigidly connected to each other by a cross rung 9; and these legs 8 are respectively connected with the main legs 1 by side rungs 10 which are pivoted at 11 to the main legs and at 12 to the legs 8 at points a little higher than the pivotal points 11 for a purpose yetto appear. a

The head section H includes a pair of legs 15 rigidly connected by a cross rung 16 and which legs by preference are a little longer than the legs of the main section so that the body portion of the head section stands slightly inclined as seen in Fig. 1. These logs are pivotally connected respec tively with the main legs 1 by side rungs 17 which are pivoted at 18 to the legs 1 and pivoted at 19 to the legs 15 at points a little higher than said pivots 18, for a purpose yet to appear. The side bars 20 of the head section are pivoted at 21 to the upper ends of the legs 15, are pivoted at 22 at their inner ends to the upper ends of the main legs 1, and are connected at their outer ends by a cross bar 23 andmay be braced at the corners as shown at 2 1 in Fig. 2; and the bedor chair-bottom C is connected with both the side bars 20 and the cross bar 23 as shown.

further on the precise structure of The foot section F comprises apair of side bars 25 connected by a cross bar 26' at their outer ends and having their inner ends hinged as at 27 to the side bars 6 of the main section, a pair of light legs 28 preferably having laterally projecting feet 29 at their lower ends and pivoted near their upper ends at 30 to the outer faces of the side bars 25 above which they project and are deflected slightly as shown at 31, and a pair of links 32pivoted at 33 to the upper ends of said deflected portions and extending alongside the side bars, and pivoted at 34 at their other ends to the legs 8 at points a little below the line of the hinges 27 and a little nearer the main legs 1 than the pintles of said hinges, this also being for a purpose yet to appear.

linking means of peculiar form connects the side bars of the head section with the side links of the foot section, and as it is duplicated at opposite sides of the device 1 need describe the construction at one side only. One arm 35 on this linking means is secured at 36 to the side bar 20 of the head section H, and is bent outward as at 37 so that this arm clears the legs and side rungs when the device is folded as seen in Fig. 4, and the body of this arm near its inner end is distorted and bent downward as at 38. Another arm 39 is pivoted at 40 to the inner end of the first arm 35, whence it extends obliquely upward, past the leg 8 and alongside the link 32, and it is slotted as at 41 for the reception of a pin 42 which projects outward from about the midlength of said link 32-these members being held apart by a spacing block or spool 43. The two arms 39 may be connected by means of a bent or 3 deflected cross rung 44 whose upturned extremities are pivoted at 45 to said arms and whose bowed or bent body passes around and beneath the side rungs 10.

The foot on each of the main legs (re- :ferred to above) is by preference made of a curved piece of metal pipe having a caster 51 at each end and secured at its center at 52 to the main leg 1, preferably so as to stand inside the same as seen in Fig. 2 and where it will not interfere with the folding and operating mechanism described herein. This foot gives the lower end of the main leg considerable width or bearing surface so, that when the device is folded as seen in Fig. 3 or collapsed as seen in Fig. 4, it will stand upright. Moreover, each foot may be provided with a pin or stud 53, and over these pins the body of the cross rung 44 may be engaged as seen in Fig. 4, to hold the collapsed device upright. In a cheaper form of this device, the feet might be entirely omitted, as well as the cross rung, but I prefer to employ them to give great strength to parts and to afford the possi i the position shown in Fig. 4, and the pendbilities just mentioned.

The proportion and construction of parts are such tl at when the device. is built as above described and as shown in the drawings, it can be opened out in the shape of a bed or divanette as illustrated in Fig. 1. Assuming now that it is desired to convert it from a bed or divanette into a chair as seen in Fig. 3, the operation would be as follows: Grasping the cross bar 26 of the foot section, the operator raises it slowly and it turns around its hinges 27. Meanwhile the links 32 turn around their pivots 34 and as the latter are not coincident with the hinge-pintles the links push slightly on the deflected upper ends 31 of the legs 28 so that said legs are folded alongside the side bars of this section as seen in Fig. 3. Meanwhile the rising section carries the pins 42 with it, and they, moving in the slots 41 raise the arms 39 of the aforesaid linking means at both sides of the frame. But as the centers around which said pins move are not coincident with the pivots 40 around which said arms 39 move, the pins will soon reach the inner ends of the slots 41, and continued upward movement of the foot section therefore pushes inward on the arms 39. This results in a downward movement of the inner deflected ends 38 of the arms 35 with the result that the head section is forced upward around its pivots 22 by the continued inward folding movement of the foot section. By the time the latter has reached the position shown in Fig. 3, the head section is upright as therein shown. If its side bars 20 are inclined to the floor line its side rungs 17 should be also inclined so that, with the legs 1 and 15, they make up a parallelogram; and the result is that when the frame of this section stands upright its legs 15 are folded behind it as shown in F 1g. 3. The foot section is now brought Wholly over onto the frame of the main section M, and. it may have plugs or "cushions 100 to rest thereon as indicated; and when it reaches this point the arms 39 3 and 35 are in such position that the head section is held upright like the back of a chair. The foot section F meanwhile over- 7 lies the main section, and the user sits on the :former and leans against the head section. When now it is desired to carry the folding to such an extent that the device will be fully collapsed as seen in Fig. 4, the front edge 2 of the main section shown in Fig. 3 is raised a and its side bars 6 swing around the pivots 5 until they reach an upright position as shown in Fig. 4, with the side bars of the foot section between them and the side bars of the head section. Meanwhile the side rungs 10 of the main section cause the legs 8 f to swing inward to folded positin as shown, :the slots 41 of the arms 39 of the linking means permit said arms to move upward to ent or hanging cross rung 44: is drawn upward over the curved feet 50 and dropped behind the pins 53 when the latter are employed. The parts of this device are now assembled within a compass which is hardly as thick as the width of the feet themselves, and it results that a large number of folding chairs or folding cots of this kind could be stored within small space. The process of opening the chair out again is but a reversal of that described.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a folding chair,the combination with the main section comprising a pair of rigidly connected main legs having laterally pro jecting elbows at their upper ends, side bars pivoted to said elbows, a second pair of legs pivotally connected at their upper ends to the remote ends of said side bars, and side rungs pivotally connecting said pairs of legs the pivotal points at the ends of said rungs being in offset planes; of a foot section hinged to the remote ends of the aforesaid side bars and foldable over the frame of the main section, a head section pivotally connected to the upper ends of the main legs, foldable legs for supporting said head section when it is distended additional foldable legs for supporting said foot section when it is distended, and a linking means on each side of the structure consisting of one arm rigidly connected with the head section and extending past the hinged connection of the latter, and a second arm pivoted at one end to the inner end of the first-named arm and loosely connected at its other end with the 1 leg of the foot section, for the purpose set forth.

2. A device of the class described comprisinga main section including a top frame, pivotal supporting legs therefor, side rungs connecting the supporting legs, a foot section hinged to the main section and foldable thereover, a head section hinged to the opposite end of the said main section, linking means between the head and foot sections, including arms rigidly carried by the head section and linking arms pivotally connected to the ends of said last mentioned arms and also loosely connected to the foot section, a U-shaped cross rungpivoted at its extremities to the last mentioned linking arms and having its depressed central portion disposed in a plane below the side rungs of the main section, and means in connection with certain of the supporting legs of said main section for engagement with the depressed portion of said U-shaped cross rung when the device is folded, whereby to secure these sections in folded position.

3. A device of the class described comprising a main section including a top frame, pivotal supporting legs therefor, side rungs connecting the supporting legs, a foot section hinged to the main section and foldable thereover, a head section hinged to the opposite end of the said main section, linking.

means between the head and foot sections, includlng arms rigidly earned by the head section and linking arms pivotally connected to the ends of said last mentioned arms and also loosely connected to the foot section, a U-shaped cross rung pivoted at its extremities to the last mentioned linking arm and having its depressed central portion disposed in a plane below the side rungs of the main section, arched feet secured to the suporting legs of the main section adjacent the lead section, and stop pins carried on said arched feet for engagement with the de pressed portion of the U-shapcd cross rung when the device is folded, whereby to secure the structure in folded position.

l. In a folding chair, the combination with the main section comprising a pair of rigidly connected main legs having laterally projecting elbows at their upper ends, side bars pivoted to said elbows, a second pair of legs pivotally connected at their upper ends to the remote ends of said side bars, and side rungs pivotally connecting said pairs of legs the opposite pivotal ends of said rungs be-- ing in effect planes; of a foot section hinged to the aforesaid remote ends of the side bars and adapted to fold over onto the frame of the main section, a head section pivotally connected to the upper ends of the main legs, foldable legs for supporting said head section when it is distended, additional foldable legs for supporting said foot section when it is distended, a linking means on each side of the structure comprising one arm secured at its outer end to the side of the frame of the head section and deflected outward near its point of attachment, thence extending alongside said frame and bent downward at its inner end, and a second arm pivoted at one end to the lower end of the first-named arm and slotted near its other end, and a pin carried by the frame of the foot section and slidably engaging said slot, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL ADLER.

\Vitnesses Monnis Hnisi-i, MEIER THAU.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of latents, Washington, D 0. 

